Income Tax

Mr. Swinney:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the annual yield to the Treasury of increasing the top rate of income tax to (a) 95p and (b) 50p for those earning over (i) £60,000, (ii) £75,000 and (iii) £100,000 per annum in (A) the UK and (B) Scotland, indicating the number of people who will be affected in each case. [152779]

Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 9 March 2001]: The full-year effects in 2001-02 of making the changes are set out in the table.

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Change in 2001-02

Income tax yield (£ billion)

Number of people affected (thousand)

(aiA) 45% rate for people with taxable incomes over £60,000 in the UK

2.6

650

(aiiA) 45% rate for people with taxable incomes over £75,000 in the UK

2.2

420

(aiiiA) 45% rate for people with taxable incomes over £100,000 in the UK

1.7

240

(aiB) 45% rate for people with taxable incomes over £60,000 in the Scotland

0.12

40

(aiiB) 45% rate for people with taxable incomes over £75,000 in the Scotland

0.10

20

(aiiiB) 45% rate for people with taxable incomes over £100,000 in the Scotland

0.08

10

(biA) 50% rate for people with taxable incomes over £60,000 in the UK

4.8

650

(biiA) 50% rate for people with taxable incomes over £75,000 in the UK

4.0

420

(biiiA) 50% rate for people with taxable incomes over £100,000 in the UK

3.2

240

(biB) 50% rate for people with taxable incomes over £60,000 in the Scotland

0.22

40

(biiB) 50% rate for people with taxable incomes over £75,000 in the Scotland

0.17

20

(biiiB) 50% rate for people with taxable incomes over £100,000 in the Scotland

0.13

10

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The estimates are based on the survey of personal incomes and are consistent with the March 2001 Budget.

Employment Statistics

Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were in employment in (a) England

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and (b) Wales in each of the past 15 years; and what the percentage change was in each year. [152697]

Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 12 March 2001]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

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Letter from Karen Dunnell to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 15 March 2001:

The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question about the number of people employed in England and Wales in the last 15 years (152697). I am replying in his absence.

The attached table shows information from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) on those in employment in both countries and the percentage change year in each year.

People aged 16 or over are classed as in employment by the LFS if they have done at least one hour of paid work (as an employee or self-employed) in the week prior to their LFS interview or if they have a job that they are temporarily away from. People who do unpaid work in a family business and people on Government- supported training and employment programmes are also included according to the International Labour Organisation guidelines.

All in employment in England and Wales; spring 1986 to spring 2000

Thousand and per cent. (not seasonally adjusted)

England

Wales

Number of people in employment

Percentage change

Number of people in employment

Percentage change

Spring

1986

20,806

--

1.085

--

1987

21,199

1.9

1-080

-0.5

1988

21,974

3.7

1,135

5.1

1989

22,624

3.0

1,212

6.8

1990

22,812

0.8

1,232

1.6

1991

22,327

-2.1

1,202

-2.4

1992

21,713

-2.7

1,192

-0.9

1993

21,523

-0.9

1,155

-3.1

1994

21,664

0.7

1,175

1.8

1995

21,916

1.2

1,193

1.4

1996

22,212

1.3

1,198

0.5

1997

22,628

1.9

1,220

1.8

1998

22,911

1.2

1,208

-1.0

1999

23,224

1.4

1,229

1.7

2000

23,536

1.3

1.246

1.4

Source:

ONS Labour Force Survey

Industrial Disputes (Days Lost)

Mr. Cox:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many working days were lost in the United Kingdom during the last 12 months as a result of industrial disputes. [153756]

Miss Melanie Johnson:
The information falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 15 March 2001:

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question about the number of working days lost in the UK as a result of industrial disputes (153756).

In the twelve months to January 2001, the latest year for which figures are available, the number was 540,000.

Credit Unions

Ms Squire:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on credit unions. [153609]

Miss Melanie Johnson:
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, West (Mr. Thomas) by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 25 January 2001, Official Report, column 1068.

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Cross-border Securities

Mr. Russell Brown:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to amend the law dealing with resolution of disputes regarding ownership of securities held cross-border. [154421]

Miss Melanie Johnson:
We have today laid the Financial Markets and Insolvency (Settlement Finality) (Amendment) Regulations 2001. These Regulations specify that the law which governs the proprietary rights of a person to securities is to be the law of the state where the relevant register, account or centralised deposit system is located. This change will facilitate resolution of disputes concerning ownership of such securities.

Occupational Pension Schemes

Barbara Follett:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to simplify the administration of the tax rules applying to occupational pension schemes; and if he will make a statement. [154423]

Miss Melanie Johnson:
An Inland Revenue sponsored team will be reviewing the tax approval arrangements applying to defined benefit pension schemes with the aim of developing a package of practical options for administrative simplification. The team will not be considering options for changing the underlying tax or benefit structures. The team will consist of Inland Revenue officials and secondees from the pensions industry. The review is due to be completed by February 2003.

Departmental Policy (Walthamstow)

Mr. Gerrard:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effect on the Walthamstow constituency of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [154178]

Miss Melanie Johnson:
Walthamstow, along with the rest of the United Kingdom, is benefiting from the long-term action we have taken to build economic stability and secure high and stable levels of growth and employment. Since the General Election, claimant unemployment in the constituency has fallen by 1,864, or 41 per cent., youth unemployment is down by 83 per cent. and long-term unemployment has fallen by 70 per cent.

Macroeconomic stability is being complemented at the microeconomic level by the Government's policies to ease the transition from welfare into work and to make work pay. To the end of December 2000, the New Deal for 18-24 year olds had helped 1,475 young people in Walthamstow constituency gain valuable skills and experience 585 (40 per cent.) of whom had moved into employment. The Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC), introduced in October 1999, is helping to make work pay for low and middle-income families. In August 2000, 1,300 families in Walthamstow constituency were benefiting from WFTC.

The Government are also committed to policies which enable pensioners to share in the country's rising prosperity. All pensioners, including 11,000 in Walthamstow constituency, will receive an above- inflation increase in the basic state pension from April 2001. Single pensioners will receive an extra £5 a week,

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and couples will receive an extra £8 a week. All pensioners aged 75 or over have also been entitled to a free TV licence since November 2000--including around 7,400 in Walthamstow constituency.

Contaminated Land

Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made by region of the likely take-up of the accelerated payable tax credit for clearing up contaminated land. [154206]

Dawn Primarolo:
No regional estimates are available for the take-up of this tax credit.